Personal Injury Law

Injured Audience Members Sue Broadway Musical for $4 Million

By guest-writer

Over the years, American theater has gained a reputation for being a classy, somewhat highbrow affair. At the very least, audience members were able to attend a show without fearing for their personal safety.

A few recent incidents, however, have threatened Broadway?s reputation as a non-contact spectator event. First, the much-hyped musical ?Spider-Man!? caused a recent stir when a few actors were injured during acrobatic aerial displays. The damage, however, was mostly limited to paid performers.

In a more shocking theater event, two Kansas City natives recently suffered serious facial injuries during a performance of the Broadway show ?Billy Elliott: The Musical.? As a result of the accident, the injured parties filed a personal injury lawsuit.

According to sources, the injury lawsuit, which seeks $4 million in damages, alleges that Elaine Rosen, 54, and Cynthia Noblit, 60, were hit in the face by a plastic crate that was accidentally flung off stage. Each woman is seeking $2 million for their respective injuries.

In their negligence complaint, Rosen alleges that she was left with a permanent scar, while Noblit claims to have suffered a concussion. Both parties allegedly incurred substantial medical expenses, including the cost of an MRI and CT scan.

The two unlucky women were sitting in the front row of New York?s Imperial Theater in 2009 when the accident occurred. This week, they filed their injury lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan.

Sources indicate that the lawsuit accuses producers of the show of acting negligently in allowing the use of ?hazardous and dangerous? props. In addition, the suit claims the producers failed to properly train the performers and did not adequately warn audience members of potential risks of attending the show.

While the women were undoubtedly upset, they were invited back to attend another showing of the award-winning musical. If the women accept this offer, one assumes they would choose to sit in the balcony, covered with protective padding.

Safety for actors on Broadway has become a legitimate a concern, with performers in several prominent shows recently suffering injuries ranging from severe to mundane. Injuries to spectators, though, are a relatively new phenomenon.

Of course, one of the primary benefits of Broadway theater is the proximity of the audience to a live performance. Nevertheless, producers owe the audience a safe, secure experience.

You don?t have to have been injured by a famous actor or a flying prop to seek damages in a personal injury lawsuit. If you?ve been injured in a public place due to someone else?s negligent or intentional actions, you may be able to seek personal injury relief.

To learn more about your state?s injury laws and how they govern your chances of seeking legal relief, contact a local injury lawyer today.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on March 01, 2011 (boomark / email).